Uniform

Stripping away layers of identity and humanity has hardened us, making us indifferent to difficult issues and disconnected to our surroundings. We have seen this through today’s challenges with social media, which reduces people to avatars and nicknames. This distances us from each other, creating an ease to act with callousness and a disregard for humanity. This detachment has also seeped into our relationships with the war and the military. By dipping our soldiers in green plastic and shrinking them down, we muffle their humanity and reduce their greatness. In this distorted context, we lose the reverence and respect we previously held for those who bravely fight for our country. In part, Uniform is a commentary on our perception of war and the military, though it addresses the much broader issue of how we judge or draw conclusions about others outside of context. It’s much easier to push something to the side when it’s not staring at you square in the eyes, and that is what seems to have happened with green army men toys. When we are confronted with a human life, and a real face, it becomes a completely different story. How do we respond to that image, a green army man toy, when humanity and individuality are reintroduced?